Think about it; any time a local pol inserts the store's name while defending themselves against charges of corruption, turns out: oops, those cabinets didn't come from Home Depot, after all. They were actually a custom job, at a helluva discount.

That was Johnny Handout, of course. John Rowland eventually resigned from office in 2004 and served 10 months in federal prison on corruption charges.

And now, oopsie, that lumber and caulking and recessed lighting did come from Home Depot...but El Jefe just didn't get around to paying for any of it until investigators started sniffing around.

Tsk, tsk boys. Sure, the store's motto is "You can do it. We can help." But I don't think this is what they had in mind.

Mayor Eddie Perez' lawyer, Hubert Santos, insisted often and dramatically that the only nicety his client offered contractor and friend Carlos Costa was a key to the city during a visit by "Tito Fuentes."

Actually, Hubie, it's Tito Puente.

And he's dead.

But I suggest getting a few of his CD's -- might help keep you pumped during your latest case. Here's a sample.

Of all the whispers and accusations and scandal surrounding the latest chapter of corruption at city hall, one line from a statement released by the Chief State's Attorney, says it all:

Former Hartford employee Edward Lazu told lied to investigators and said he paid USA Contractor $1,100 for work on the driveway of his Hartford home.

Au contraire, said contractor Carlos Costa, who was a close friend of the mayor's -- at least before he was arrested Monday.

Costa, one of the three crooked amigos, testified that he did not charge Lazu, who surrendered alongside the mayor today, for any work or receive any payment, because he considered it "the cost of doing business" in Hartford.

Classic.

Actually, the real cost is what this shoulder-shrug mentality says about the climate of petty corruption lurking around public service. And the message it sends to people who believed this administration was going to do things differently.

Among the group of freezing reporters and camera people from all the local news channels, including Telemundo, there was an enterprising young man waiting on Mayor Eddie Perez to turn himself in outside Troop H this morning.

He was just passing by, the guy said, when he heard El Jefe was surrendering on bribery charges and thought -- cha-ching!

"Hey, yo, Steve. I just took a picture of the mayor!" he reported to a friend on his cellphone.

"Yeah man, I got it. I swear to God."

"I'm going to sell it to the news people."

Guess he didn't notice that he was surrounded by all those news people. But whatever -- he seemed mighty pleased with himself. And it sounded like Steve was equally impressed. (Getty Images)

We're all still trying to sort through the charges Mayor Eddie Perez faces and just what they all mean.

Last we heard, Perez is sticking with his plea of innocence -- he admits what he did was a mistake, but insists there was nothing criminal about having a guy making millions off the city fix up his house.

Yeah. We'll see.

But here's one thing we don't have to wait on -- the ultimate let down this is for so many who supported and believed in the city's first Latino mayor.

El Alcalde, remember? The local guy done good who was supposed to be a role model for a whole city.

I know, I know -- this could have gone horribly wrong. And no one should ever try this again -- that means you two girls.

But man, the spunk they showed.

I really want to know what they were thinking. Did they just have enough of the ABC's, 123's? Did one look at the other and say, "Let's blow this Popsicle stand." Did they just need some air? Or maybe they had some awesome snacks waiting for them at home.

And more than that, I want to know where they're going to be when they grow up. They certainly have flare!

If you're out there girls, give me a call. I mean, you walked home, right? I figure calling me is easy. 860-241-6542.(Channel 8 photo)

Of all the hundreds of thousands of words written about future first lady Michelle and President-elect Barack Obama, this short piece in the New Yorker is especially compelling and intimate and heartwarming.

It's not often that a politician brings tears to your eyes -- at least not for doing something right.

But that's pretty much where I found myself --OK, not full-out tears, but definitely a little misty -- when a neighbor stopped by this holiday break to tell me about a telephone call she'd just received from none other than Congressman Joe Courtney.

Being the cautious type, my neighbor initially thought the guy on the line was pulling her leg. But when he told her he had recently shared a meal with her daughter, who is stationed overseas, she was all ears.

Turns out the Congressman had a lovely conversation with her daughter, and promised he'd call her parents for the holidays to say she was fine, and was thinking of them.

Not sure if Joe realized it, but he made a mother's holiday with that simple call.

Here's the headline from a chilling Wall Street Journal story that ran Dec. 29: "Murders of Black Teens Up 39% Since 2000-01"

And here's a sobering quote from our very own Police Chief Daryl Roberts in a Courant article about crime in the city:

"Most young men, especially young men living in the areas of urban environment, have resorted to using violent crime to resolve their issues," Roberts said, calling it a nationwide problem. "Two-thirds of those killed this year were young black and Latino men between the ages of 16 and 25. The biggest killer of minority males in urban environments are other males; in most cases, it's other minority males."

Among the reasons, according to the WSJ article, anyway: cuts in law enforcement programs and activities geared toward youth.